Tyrants can use Facebook, too

There has been much talk lately about the “Facebook revolution” in the Middle East. But the rhetoric oversimplifies a more complicated reality.

The Internet has helped activists from Morocco to Iran organize demonstrations and publicize human rights abuses. The world had a front-row seat at the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions thanks to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This publicity likely helped restrain government crackdowns on protesters.

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While the mainstream media has limited access to Libya during the current unrest, social media have provided an invaluable lifeline of information. The revolution may not be televised — but it is being tweeted.

It is important to remember that the Internet, like every sea change in communications technology does not inevitably lead to social progress. It is merely a tool for brave men and women willing to put their lives on the line to improve their lot.

TV broadcasts of Alabama state troopers beating protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge helped galvanize support for the civil rights movement in the 1960s. But it was John Lewis and his fellow marchers who had the courage to face the billy clubs, dogs and fire hoses — and the foresight to understand the impact of these images on America.

Similarly, Egyptian activists had the strategic vision to use Facebook to spread the word about a demonstration in Tahrir Square on Jan. 25, and the fortitude to protest for the next 18 days. The Internet didn’t bring down the Mubarak regime, the Egyptian people did.

Technological advancement also has a downside. The Internet makes it easier for repressive regimes to crack down on dissidents. The Belarusian and Iranian governments have used what Internet expert Evgeny Morozov calls the “digital panopticon” created by social-networking technology to track down and arrest activists.

In China, Internet police monitor the Web, and the “Great Firewall” censors content.